1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printer for use with rolled recording paper, and more particularly to a printer with a preliminary paper cutting device that cuts a leading end of a roll of recording paper so as to provide a rectangular leading end edge to side edges of the recording paper before starting printing an image on the recording paper.
2. Background Arts
There are many kinds of printers that use a continuous web of recording paper and cut it after printing. The continuous web of recording paper is coiled around a spool, and is loaded in a paper supply section of a printer or in a paper magazine with a pair of paper holders attached to opposite ends of the spool.
A container of the paper magazine consists of a magazine body and a lid which are formed from a moisture and light tight material. The magazine body bears the paper holders such that the spool of the rolled recording paper may turn about the paper holders. The paper magazine containing the rolled recording paper may be easily loaded in or unloaded from a printer, and may be reloaded in the printer. So the paper magazine facilitates loading and changing the recording paper.
In most cases, the leading end edge of unused roll of recording paper is not neat nor rectangular to the side edges of the recording paper. For this reason, a preliminary cutting process for providing a neat and rectangular leading end edge has conventionally been executed after a new roll of recording paper is loaded in the printer. The preliminary cutting process consists of a series steps of pulling out the recording paper from the roll, cutting the leading end at a predetermined length, ejecting the cut end portion out of the printer, and rewinding the recording paper onto the roll. In a conventional printer, the preliminary cutting process, hereinafter called simply the pre-cutting process, is effected in response to a manual operation on a particular operation switch or the like. The manual operation for the pre-cutting process increases the number of operations necessary for loading of the recording paper roll, and the user is apt to fail to do this operation.
To solve the above problems, Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. 11-292360 suggests a copying machine that is provided with an automatic pre-cutting device for making the pre-cutting process automatically when the printer is turned on first after a new roll of recording paper is loaded therein. When loading a copying machine with a new roll, an operator pulls out a leading end of a paper. A cover is closed with this leading end of the paper being out of the copying machine. Pre-cutting process is performed when a pre-cutting sensor detects this leading end of the paper. After the pre-cutting process, the cut leading end of the paper is drawn out by hand from the cover, so the copying machine is ready to perform a copying action. Moreover, since detection of the leading end of the paper stops the pre-cutting sensor, the pre-cutting process is not performed again while the copying machine is loaded with the roll. When drawing out of the leading end of the paper has been forgotten, the pre-cutting sensor continues detecting the leading end of the paper.
However, in those printers which use the paper magazines, since it is possible to reload the paper magazine containing a partly used recording paper roll, it is necessary to discriminate between individual paper magazines, and check if the recording paper contained in the loaded paper magazine has already been subjected to the pre-cutting process. For this purpose, the user is required to register a newly used paper magazines with the printer, and the printer must be provided with devices for making the discrimination process. Which results in raising the cost of the printer.